Bush rejects timetable on Iraq pullout

President George Bush vowed yesterday to keep American troops in Iraq despite growing calls for a timetable for withdrawal that have prompted a bitter political fight in Washington.

His tough words came as five American soldiers were killed and another five wounded in a bomb attack in northern Iraq.

Two improvised devices hit the US army patrol near the Iraqi town of Baiji yesterday. The soldiers were from the 101st Airborne Division, the military said. Baiji is 110 miles north of Baghdad.

The incident brings the number of US servicemen killed in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion to at least 2,089.

As fresh violence gripped the country, more than 50 people died in suicide car bombs yesterday, one targeting mourners at the funeral of a Shia Muslim sheikh.

Bush's call came as details emerged of a plan by senior US military commanders that could see some American troops begin going home from Iraq by early next year if the country stabilises after next month's elections.

The president, speaking at a South Korean US air base during an Asian tour, said 'sober judgment' should prevail against those urging a pullout. 'We will stay in the fight until we have achieved the victory our troops have fought for. The defence of freedom is worth our sacrifice.'

But politicians in Washington were engaged in a passionate debate about the war, openly insulting one another on the floor of the House of Representatives after the military's withdrawal plan was revealed.

It was drawn up by the two top US commanders in Iraq, Generals John Abizaid and George Casey, and presented to the Pentagon, which declined to comment.

The plan hinges on the Iraqi elections being successful and the emergence of Iraqi police and military units capable of fighting the insurgency alone. There would also need to be other signs of progress in Iraq's national reconstruction.

If these conditions were met, US troops could start leaving in January, at first in brigade-sized groups of between 1,000 and 2,000 men. Forces due to arrive in Iraq in the summer could have their tours of duty put on hold.

If successful, the plan would see about 60,000 US troops withdraw in 2006, leaving up to 100,000 still there.

Perhaps the weakest part of the scheme is the reliance on Iraqi troops taking over the fighting. Progress on this has been slow. It was recently revealed that only one of the 96 Iraqi army battalions is fit to fight without US help.

Bush repeated that line in South Korea, adding that US troops were 'making steady progress' in training Iraqi forces. 'As Iraqis stand up, we will stand down,' he said.

This followed a week of explosive political debate in the US House of Representatives. After a devastating attack by Democratic Representative John Murtha, a decorated Vietnam veteran, Republicans forced a vote on troop withdrawal.

This seemed aimed at forcing Democrats to back the war unequivocally or call for the troops to pull out.

After an almost unprecedentedly bitter debate, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted to reject a call for a withdrawal. But the strong emotions mirrored deep fractures in public opinion.

When Murtha emotionally called Bush's Iraq policy 'a flawed policy wrapped in illusion', he broke down in front of reporters and wept. He also personally attacked leading White House officials for taking the country into war when they themselves had avoided serving in Vietnam.

Murtha, who served in the US Marines during that war, was called 'a coward' by Republican Representative Jean Schmidt. Her comments provoked uproar. The debate was suspended as one Democrat crossed the House of Representatives's centre aisle to lambast her. Other Democrats screamed 'pathetic' as the debate descended into an ugly slanging match.

The longer-term implications are unclear. Polls show a collapse in support for Bush but also reveal the Democrats are failing to capitalise.